


Secret Of The Hybrids

by bellsabee



Series: A Merman's Tear [2]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Technoblade - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF, lmanberg - Fandom, mcyt
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Dream SMP Fantasy AU, Dream Smp, DreamSMP - Freeform, Fantasy, Hybrid - Freeform, Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Minecraft, Other, Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), book two, dream smp fantasy, dreamnotfound, dreamsmpfantasyau, lmanberg, mcyt - Freeform, pirate, second book, secret
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29604576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellsabee/pseuds/bellsabee
Summary: (Part two of the merman's tear series)Technoblade never meant to leave his family. It was his duty to protect them, to help Phil provide so that they could survive.He knew it was his job to take care of them, he knew that without him they wouldn't be able to stay afloat.This made it all the more difficult for him when he was stolen. Snatched away from his family on the premise of being a hybrid, Technoblade has to find his way in this brand new world that he's been thrown into. Finding out you're a hybrid is one thing, but finding out there's an entire sanctuary full of them hiding from the human race? A sanctuary that's being hunted by the one and only King Schlatt?  Well, that's another story.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), dreamnotfound - Relationship
Series: A Merman's Tear [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175012
Comments: 51
Kudos: 61





	1. Prologue

Her eyes glinted as a familiar feeling sparked through her body. Her sheep ears pricked up as she tried to locate where the hybrid was. She could feel him in the area, she knew he was there, she had a knack for sensing other hybrids.

She narrowed her blue eyes as she peeked out from the alleyway. She looked around, biting the inside of her cheek. No sign of him here.

She turned swiftly, her feet carrying her to the wall at the end of the alleyway. She leapt up, using her strong legs to push her up as she grabbed onto the top of the brick wall. She heaved herself onto it, pushing her captain hat down to conceal her face as she slunk on top of the rooftop. Luckily for her, she was under the shade of night, and any chances of being seen were drastically removed.

She twitched her sheep ears in the moonlight and felt the same feeling spark through her. Her ear angled to where the feeling was telling her to go, and she nimbly crossed over the rooftops, avoiding being seen.

The feeling grew stronger in her body as she went in one direction and she smiled to herself slightly, continuing to move into that area.

Coat flapping behind her, she leapt over another roof, boots landing roughly as she rolled, stabling herself. She fixed her large main of white curly hair, flattening her hat on top of it once more as she gazed back, seeing the distance between the two houses. She'd only just managed to land on this one.

She sighed slightly, she really needed to be more careful.

Still, she persisted, until the sparking feeling inside her was incredibly strong. It overwhelmed her, and her lips parted in shock. 

Out of all the hybrids she'd saved before, this one had such a strong magic aura around it that it was driving her senses crazy. She shook her head, trying not to let the magic overwhelm her. Stick to your goal, she reminded herself.

She glanced at the cobblestone road of the town and saw no one, so she let herself peer over the side of the house she was crouched on.

She flicked her white fluffy tail and inspected the house. A soft yellow glow emitted from one of the windows, indicating that the house was very much occupied.

How she would get in and find the hybrid was another story.

She bit her lip slightly, trying to figure out what to do, when the door swung open and a teenager emerged from the house, looking for something.

The boy gazed around, holding a lantern in his hand as he searched the floor.

"Wilbur!" the boy yelled, "where is it?"

"Behind the basin, Techno!" another boy's voice called out from inside the house, and she watched as the one outside huffed slightly, moving towards the basin and pulling a ball out from behind it.

He turned around, and her ears flicked up.

The magic energy was coming straight from him. It was so strong she could almost see it swirling around his figure. 

"Bingo." she whispered to herself, grinning. Now she knew where he was.

She watched as he moved back inside, the door slamming behind him.

She slunk back into the shadows, moving across the rooftops, trying to find somewhere to lay low for the night.

She quickly transformed into her human form, floppy sheep ears being replaced with human one's, little bits of white fluff disappearing, tail popping back into her as she sighed, already becoming uncomfortable with her unnatural form.

She entered an inn and put a bit of money on the table, exchanging it for a room key.

Her feet carried her up the stairs and to the door with her room number on it, making sure to lock her door before she flopped onto the bed, taking her hat off and resting it next to her.

She let her normal form come back and sighed in contentment as her white ears flicked.

"Rest easy Techno," she whispered to herself, thinking of the hybrid that the other boy had called Techno, "we'll meet tomorrow."


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade meets someone like him.

Technoblade sighed to himself as he watched the morning sun rise over the village through his window. Just like every day, he awoke far too early for his liking and sat in the room he shared with his brothers.

He glanced over at their sleeping forms, Tommy curled into Wilbur and Wilbur with a protective arm around the other as they snored. His twin had more of a knack for the brotherly stuff than he did. Techno was just the other brother, the one that did the work and didn't have time for fun.

The 'party pooper' Tommy would say.

Oh well, at least he's got Phil.

He bit his lip, running a hand through his pale pink hair and sighed. It was reaching down his neck right now and had been tied into a rather tight braid, bits of hair sticking out in places.

When it was longer and easier to plait he hoped it would look a bit neater.

Heaving himself off the mattress on the floor, he changed into his work clothes. He slipped on his simple beige shirt and did up the buttons before stepping into the dark grey pants. He rolled the cuffs of the shirt up to his elbows, slipped his boots on and grabbed his coat.

As he moved into the kitchen, he put the coat on. The ball that Wilbur had made him get for Tommy last night was sat by the door, and he rolled his eyes. He hadn't even needed to bring it in, no one used it.

He could recall Tommy mentioning that it would be stolen if they left it out, and he had almost hoped it had been.

Fewer toys meant fewer distractions which meant more help. Techno was used to doing the work around here, he and Phil never had enough time to relax, and he wished that his other brothers would pull their weight a little bit more.

Then again, Tommy was only twelve. He ought to let the kid be a kid while he still had the chance. And Wilbur had to look after him, knowing Tommy he would set the village on fire if he was left to his own devices.

So it was left to Techno and Phil to keep this family running. Still, Techno was only sixteen, and sometimes wished he'd get to relax as the others did.

He sighed, glancing around at the four-room house. There was a room for the brothers to sleep in, a room for Phil, a bathroom, and their main room, which was a kitchen/hangout area. It was an incredibly small house, and it felt cramped more often than not. Techno always had some form relief when he stepped outside of it.

He looked to see if Phil was up yet, but was met with an answer of silence.

"Guess not." he muttered to himself, sighing again (something he found himself doing a lot recently) and unlocked the door.

He made his way down to the village square and nodded his head a few times in greeting at the other people.

"Ah, Mr Blade!" a voice called, and Techno found himself turning around to locate the sound.

A short man (or was he really short? Techno was taller than most people, so it was hard to tell) was moving towards him, and Techno vaguely recognised him as a tradesperson who had recently set up in their village.

The man had come with stories of the coastal regions, and Tommy, Wilbur and Techno had listened with eager ears as he spat tales of ships and a castle so grand that few ever entered it.

The Hub. The largest village over Schlatt's kingdom, so large it was more of a city. The one the king presided in. Techno wondered if he'd ever get the chance to see it. It was unlikely.

Techno hadn't wanted to go and hear stories, but the other boys had dragged him along, and he'd begrudgingly listened as the guy had spoken. He would not admit that those stories had interested him, but the knowing smile on Wilbur's face after leaving had made him think that his twin knew what was up. Wilbur knew him better than he liked to admit. He guessed it was a twin thing. They weren't identical twins, and were quite different, both in build and personality, but they still knew how the other functioned.

He sighed slightly, never one for social interaction, and raised an eyebrow.

"You can call me Technoblade." he responded blandly. Techno was his nickname, but he'd rather not let strangers use it. That was reserved for only his family.

"Nonsense, Mr Blade! You're far too much help to me for the informal name." the man chortled, and Techno rolled his eyes slightly.

If the man noticed, he did not comment on it.

"How can I help you?" Techno asked after a moment of awkward silence, and the man clapped his hands, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"I have a job for you!" the man beamed, and Techno sighed slightly.

He got the money to support his family by taking jobs from just about anyone. Often people would come to town, trading jobs for money (or for food), and Techno rarely passed on the opportunity.

He raised an eyebrow, a silent signal telling the man to go on, and waited.

"There's to be a vegetable show!" the man started, "all our vendors will be showing their prized vegetables, and the winners will get to have their food delivered to, drumroll please..." Techno stared at the man, not moving. The man cleared his throat slightly, not thrown off "...the king! The vegetables will be used in one of his meals! Isn't it exciting? The king eating our food!"

Techno raised an eyebrow, "Wow," he deadpanned, "so cool."

That's so great that a village is literally celebrating their food that they work hard for being taken and given to Schlatt just for the purpose of his enjoyment. Truly wonderful. 

Techno didn't like the king. It was his fault he had to work this much.

The man nodded his head enthusiastically, and Techno wondered for a moment if his head would fall off with the sheer excitement behind it.

"Anyway, I need you to go down to Old Man Sky's farm, I'm betting some money on his veggies winning, and I need you to ensure that they actually get here! His helper is sick, so he'll need your help carrying them over," the man gave him his job, and Techno nodded slightly, "come back and find me after you're done and I'll give you your pay!" 

Technoblade narrowed his eyes, "How much-" he started to ask, but the man was already skipping off, running over to chat with some other village people.

Techno sighed heavily. Any money was appreciated, he could find out how much he got later.

He scratched the back of his head, moving his way onto the path through the forest that led to Old Man Sky's farm.

As he walked, completely surrounded by shrubbery and trees, he felt a familiar pain surfacing around his ears, mouth and legs.

He groaned in annoyance, taking a seat on a log not too far off the trail, and gripped his head in his hands.

Recently, within the last few months, he'd been having random bursts of pain throughout his body.

It had started with his ears, had crept into his legs, and had more recently started to ache in his jaws.

He had no idea what this unfamiliar feeling was, but it was happening even more within the last few days. 

He felt himself growing incredibly uncomfortable for literally no reason and would continue to feel like he wasn't in his own skin.

Yesterday he'd had a rather bad burst of pain, and had felt his ear twitching. He'd ran to a mirror and seen it moving weirdly, and had clapped his hands over his ears, willing it to stop.

It had stopped almost as soon as he tried to control it, which was increasingly odd. He felt curious as to what it was, but he didn't have the time of day to explore it.

If he just ignored it and pushed it away, it would be fine.

He sat still for a few moments as he waited for the wave of pain to leave, before he sighed, running a hand over his tired face and stood up, continuing his walk to the farm.

Techno was sure he was too tired for his age, and that teenagers shouldn't feel like this, but he couldn't dwell on it.

He had work to do and money to earn.

The walk was pretty peaceful after that, and Techno felt himself relaxing slightly as he moved through the swaying leaves.

He heard a twig snap behind him and tensed up. He'd walked this trail so many times, and he knew no animals made that sound.

He whipped around quickly, eyes narrowed, and took in the scene in front of him.

A woman stood there. She had white fluffy hair, a red and brown coat, long boots and a fairly distinct captain hat on her head.

Techno's eyes narrowed down on the sword strapped to her belt, and took a small step backwards.

He wasn't unfamiliar with how to use a sword. An old palace guard used to live in the village after he'd retired, and Techno had formed a student/mentor like relationship with the man. He had taught Techno all sorts of things about fighting, but he had died before he could learn much more.

Sure, Techno was bigger than this woman in size and strength, but he knew never to underestimate an opponent. He had to keep up his guard.

She smiled at him slightly, hands clasped together in front of her as she stepped forward.

Techno stood still, warily watching her.

She tipped her hat back slightly, letting more of her face become visible. Her striking blue eyes were the first thing he'd noticed, and he narrowed his eyes slightly at them.

"Who are you?" Techno asked after a moment, not wanting this interaction to last much longer. Better to get it over and done with.

"The name's Captain Puffy." the woman said, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"But you can just call me Puffy." she said after a moment, slipping her hands into her back pockets.

"What do you want?" Techno questioned, and Puffy raised an eyebrow.

"Straight to the point," she mused, "I like that."

Technoblade continued to stare at her and she smiled slightly.

"Okay kid, short version of the story," she started, "I'm the leader of a hybrid sanctuary. My goal is to locate and find all hybrids in human civilisations and move them to my safe haven."

What the fuck.

Techno spluttered slightly, losing his composure for a second before he managed to make his face impassive again.

What kind of stupid prank was this? Humour was getting worse these days.

He cleared his throat, "That's a funny joke. I have to be going now." he said shortly, turning around and walking down the trail.

He heard her start to jog after him, and he glanced down at to her as she walked alongside him.

Her walk was a lot faster as she was trying to match his speed, and considering he's a lot taller and has a bigger stride, she was moving quite fast.

"Just- hold on kid-"

He stopped again, turning to look at the shorter woman.

"Please leave me alone." he deadpanned, and when she did not respond, but blew out a sigh dramatically, he turned and started walking once more.

"Haven't you ever felt something you can't explain?" Puffy called from behind him, "A pain that only you know? When you feel uncomfortable in your own body?" Technoblade paused.

Okay. This crazy lady was spewing random facts. Random facts that actually made sense.

He turned around, staring at her as they stood a few metres apart.

"...How do you know about that?" he asked, and he watched as she relaxed slightly, a smile flitting across her face.

"Because I'm like you, kid. Just a hybrid trying to make her way in the world. It's a hard world for people like us, but I can make it easier for you." she said, and Techno narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not a hybrid. I don't even know what you mean by that." he growled out, and she continued to smile patiently at him.

"You are a hybrid, kid. I can help you. You just need to let me."

They stood in silence for a moment.

"Prove it." he blurted, and she hesitated, looking around, before nodding slightly.

"Okay. I can do that." she said, and shook her arms slightly.

Technoblade sceptically watched her, ready to turn and walk away, when her appearance started to chance.

Her ears extended and became replaced by sheep ears, the gold earrings she wore staying in them.

The fur on her ears matched her white fluffy hair, and he saw a short sheep tail pop out from behind her.

She rested a hand on her hip, smiling slightly, and took off her hat.

She held it to her chest and Technoblade's eyes widened at what was on her head.

Two horns had grown, small enough to be hidden under the hat, but big enough to be seen in the puffy hair.

Techno was at a loss for words.

He stammered slightly, and she laughed.

"See? I told you, didn't I?" she said, finding this funny.

"What- that's- I don't understand-"

Puffy rolled her eyes, "What? You didn't think merfolk were the only magic beings around, did you?"

Technoblade had never thought about that. He knew magic existed within the sea, he knew it was something that merfolk used- he just never realised it could exist anywhere other than in the ocean.

"How did you do that?" he asked after a moment, sounding guarded but intrigued.

She smiled slightly.

"Close your eyes."

Techno did not.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm going to need you to trust me kid."

He hesitated, before huffing.

"If you do any funny business, I'm ending you." he threatened, and watched her shrug.

After a second, he closed his eyes, waiting for her next instructions.

"Okay. In the places you felt your pain, I need you to just will them to open up. Find the feeling inside of you, it's your magic. It feels...sparky. Grab onto it, and your instincts will do the rest." She murmured, and Techno sighed, trying to find it.

After a moment, he felt a feeling inside his chest. It felt like fireworks swirling throughout his body. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to keep them closed, and flexed his fingers. Sparky.

After a minute, the magic feeling got stronger, and he could feel his ears moving. He yelped in surprise, eyes snapping open as he flung his hands to his ears.

They continued to grow, and then he felt a pain in his jaw.

He felt his canine teeth growing large and he opened his mouth at the unfamiliar feeling.

He closed his mouth and realised with a start that his two canine teeth poked out of his lips.

His eyes moved over to Puffy in panic, and she gazed at him in interest. She crossed over and pulled something out of her pocket.

It was a little hand mirror, and Techno quickly inspected his appearance. Large pointy ears, resembling a pigs, now protruded from where his normal ears should have been. He flicked one of his ears slightly and realised he could hear so much better than before. His teeth, resembling tusks, were sharp and threatening-looking.

Techno blinked in surprise. His legs felt more powerful, but as he looked down he did not see any physical difference.

Captain Puffy smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

"Cool form kid."

"What...why do I look like this?" he questioned, and she smiled.

"It's your natural form kid. This is why you always feel so uncomfortable disguising yourself as a human. This is who you're meant to be."

Technoblade blinked slowly, trying to process this.

Crazy lady comes and tells him he's a hybrid. Crazy lady says she's from a santucary. He does not believe crazy lady. Crazy lady turns out to be correct. He is now like crazy lady.

"You gotta come to the sanctuary, Techno." she said after a moment, and in any other situation, he would ask how she knew his name, but he was more preoccupied with what she'd said.

"I can't do that. I have my family to protect." he mumbled, and watched her eyes narrow.

"They're humans. They may be your blood but the magic chose you. You're not human any longer. You belong with your true kind." she said, and Techno shook his head.

"I can't! Show me how to turn back." he demanded after a moment, she remained silent.

Despite this form feeling so...normal, so perfect, where he actually didn't feel like his body was fighting himself, he knew he could not go with her.

Without him, his family wouldn't be able to survive.

They needed him.

He glanced down from her annoyed face to the mirror, inspecting himself again.

He had to stay.

"Sorry about this, kid." she murmured, and Techno looked up in confusion, only to see the blunt part of her sword swinging towards his head before he blacked out and fell to the floor with a thump.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!!! Here's the first official chapter! Welcome!! :D
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!! This is also my first time writing Captain Puffy, so if I get her personality wrong please mention it so I can fix it a bit :))
> 
> Happy reading!!
> 
> -Bee <3
> 
> (22/2/21)
> 
> Co-posted on wattpad


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno wakes up in an unfamiliar place and makes a decision.

Bright sunlight pierced Technoblade's vision when he woke up. He groaned in annoyance, clenching his eyes shut as he put a hand in front of his face.

His head is throbbing, and he wonders for a moment why.

But then it hits him.

His eyes snap open in realisation, ignoring the bright flashes of pain that accompany this act, and looks around.

This is not his room. Crazy lady Captain Puffy had kidnapped him.

His mouth felt dry from this fact as he looked around nervously. The room he was in looked like more of a hut than a house.

The floor was made of wood, and the room was only big enough to fit a bed and some space on the floor. It was circular, and as he looked up, he saw that the roof was pointy.

He rubbed his face, swinging his feet off the bed as he continued to look around.

His clothes were still on him, as well as his shoes, completely intact.

He stood up carefully, holding onto the frame of the bed for support when his headache flared up again and made his way to a wooden door. It opened with a creak when he nudged against it, and his eyes widened at what he saw on the other side.

He was in a large clearing in the middle of a forest. Sun shone through the leaves leaving gentle rays over the grass. There were many other huts just like his in the clearing, and he saw people moving around and doing tasks in the summer light.

The shocking thing, however, was the features that these people had.

Techno spotted one man with rabbit ears and a small puffy tail as he bounced up, picking apples from a tree and putting them into a basket.

He saw a woman with large mottled wings attached to her back as she walked past him. He saw so many things, so many unfamiliar things, and he had to sit down in shock. Luckily for him, there were small wooden steps coming off the hut he'd been in, and he slumped down onto them for support.

Techno flicked his ears and realised with a start that he was in his hybrid form. He warily put his hand to his tusks and sighed slightly.

He thinks he might be sick.

This is all too much.

"Hey, kid." A voice interrupted his thoughts and he snapped his head up, looking to the side. Puffy stood there in all her sheep glory. He narrowed his eyes but did not get up.

"Where am I?" he questioned, and he saw her smile slightly.

"My sanctuary." she said, and Techno bit the inside of his cheek.

"I realised that, funnily enough," he deadpanned, "I meant, where are we? Where is this place?"

He watched her think for a moment before a slightly guarded smile flicked across her face.

"In due time, I'll tell you." she promised, and Techno had to resist the urge to scream.

Screaming would get him nowhere. He had to be calm.

"I really don't appreciate the fact that you kidnapped me." Techno muttered, and she winced slightly.

"I don't like to call it kidnapping," she started, "think of it as more like...safety adoption."

Techno raised an eyebrow, "Did you seriously just say this was safety adoption?"

Puffy barked out a laugh and sat on the stairs next to Techno, who scooched to the side slightly with a huff.

"It was for your own safety, kid." she murmured, and Techno sighed.

"I still don't understand what you mean by that." he growled out, ears pinned back warily.

"Humans are...bad," Puffy said, "they hurt, and they take, and they kill. You weren't safe with them." 

Techno narrowed his eyes, "They're my family! Of course, I'm safe with them!" he spat, losing his composure slightly.

Puffy looked at him with sympathetic eyes, ears pinned back just like Techno's.

"You'd be surprised at how many hybrids thought the same, and when they told their family, they were hunted." she muttered, and Techno looked at her with guarded curiosity.

"If there are so many hybrids with sob stories, then why have I never heard of them before?" he asked after a moment of silence, shifting slightly.

"We have ways of hiding ourselves. That, and Schlatt's made it his goal to kill all of us without alerting any of his kingdom." she muttered, and Techno raised an eyebrow.

"He's trying to kill us?" he questioned, not even realising he'd put himself into the equation.

Captain Puffy nodded, her fluffy white hair bouncing slightly.

"Too many of us have been murdered. This is why I made this sanctuary. This is why I can't let you go." she said, and Techno looked away from her.

He did not respond. Instead, he listened to the sounds of children laughing as they played in the clearing and the sounds of hybrids going about their daily business.

"...You seem calmer about this than I expected." Puffy mentioned after a moment, and Technoblade looked back at her.

"I've had experience with hiding my emotions." he deadpanned, and she frowned.

"You're just a kid."

"Believe me, I'm aware."

Puffy sighed slightly, patting him on the shoulder. Techno leaned away from the touch. She didn't get to comfort him, not after she took him away from his life.

She stood, stretching slightly, not bothered by Techno's unwillingness to be near her.

"I'm going to get out of here." Techno said after a moment, and she raised an eyebrow.

"You can't. This place is under heavy fortification." she objected.

"I'll find a way." he growled out, and she smiled slightly.

"Let me teach you more about the hybrid way. Better to learn about yourself before you make any decisions. You don't even know how to change your form properly, you need my help." she said, and Techno narrowed his eyes.

He needed to protect his family. He had to go back and provide for them. Phil, Wilbur and Tommy needed him.

Then again...he wouldn't be much help if he walked around looking like a monster. He'd basically be sending a message to Schlatt saying 'hey, come get me!'.

He stared at Puffy for a moment, before sighing.

"I'll stay. Only until I learn how to control this, though." he added and watched as she grinned.

"I don't know kid, I think you may end up liking this place." she murmured and tipped her hat to him before walking off and disappearing around the corner.

Techno sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked at his surroundings.

"Home sweet home." he muttered to himself, before making his way back into the hut and sleeping his headache off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!!! Another chapter back at you!
> 
> I'm not feeling super great today so I hope that doesn't reflect in my writing :((
> 
> Happy reading!! 
> 
> -Bee <3
> 
> (23/2/21)
> 
> Co-posted on wattpad


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade meets some more people and finds out something odd about magic.

When Techno awoke a second time, it was to a significantly better feeling head. He blinked slowly, allowing his eyes to adjust, but quickly realised he didn't need to.

The hut was in complete darkness, but he wasn't tired anymore, so he stood up and made his way over to the door.

He thought idly for a moment that this would definitely mess up his sleep schedule, but he decided he didn't really care so much.

Opening the door, Techno realised it wasn't as late as he was expecting it to be. He'd guessed it was far past the time that everyone went to sleep, but he was wrong. It was still dark, but he saw lamps hanging from the front of each hut, and heard the chatter of a crowd not too far from him.

His eyes narrowed in on a lit-up path away from the clearing into the forest and wondered where it led to.

He looked around, seeing no one else, and decided to follow it. The moon hung heavy in the sky as he looked up, but it was slowly replaced by the tops of trees as he got further and further into the forest.

He continued along the lamp-lit trail, and his eyes widened as he made his way over to another, much smaller clearing.

An enormous tree, absolutely the biggest one he'd ever set his eyes upon, was nestled in the middle of the clearing. Branches stretched out from it, lights lit up its stump and leaves, and he could see small wooden structures along with it.

In the middle of it, he could see an entryway into the tree that was blocked off with wooden planks, and could faintly make out a soft blue glow coming from inside of it.

Hybrids sat around the tree, exchanging stories and laughing under the glowing lights, and Techno could even hear music coming from somewhere in the vicinity.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a voice said from beside him, and his ears flicked, turning to look at where the sound came from.

Another teen, probably somewhere around Techno's age, stood next to him. He had bright red hair and what appeared to be red panda ears sticking out from his head. The boy's red and white tail flicked slightly as he waited for a response.

After a moment, Techno nodded slightly.

The boy smiled, turning to look at the lights with him.

"I get you're probably scared-" the boy started, and Techno huffed.

"I don't get scared." he muttered, and the boy turned to him with a sympathetic look.

"Everyone gets scared." he said, and Techno narrowed his eyes, looking away from him.

The boy sighed before continuing.

"I was scared too when I first came here. I only got here a few months ago, but it's become my home," he murmured, looking over at Techno, "it'll become your home too. You just have to give it some time."

Techno bit the inside of his cheek, not commenting on the fact that this random kid just came up to him and started spewing about home, despite the fact that he really wanted to.

"I'm not staying long." he said, and the boy smiled slightly.

"My name is Velvet." the boy introduced himself, sticking his hand out, green eyes lighting up.

Techno narrowed his eyes for a second before he stuck his hand out and awkwardly shook the others.

"Technoblade." he responded. He wouldn't let them use his nickname. That was reserved only for his family.

"Nice to meet you, Technoblade. Come meet the others." Velvet said, gesturing for Techno to follow him. He did so, albeit hesitantly, and they made their way under the tree's branches and to a group on the other side.

A group of five others sat around the roots of the tree, hanging out and chatting about random stuff. Velvet pulled Techno forward and smiled in greeting at the others.

"Hey, guys! This is Technoblade!" Velvet introduced them, and Techno nodded stiffly in greeting.

"This is Connor," Velvet said, motioning to someone around the same age as him who had blue fluffy ears poking out from his brown hair, "this is Callahan," a boy, older than Techno, who had deer ears, a tail and two deer horns poking out of his head nodded towards him.

"This is Jack," Velvet moved on to a boy a couple of years younger than the 16-year-old, who had fluffy bear ears poking from his head, "Foolish," Velvet nodded to another teen with cheetah ears and a long flicking tail, who cocked an eyebrow at Techno but said nothing, "and last but not least, Eret!" The last one smiled, and Techno's eyebrows raised a little bit.

The teen had white and yellow feathers sticking from behind their ears and had two large cockatoo wings attached to their back.

"Uh, hi." Techno cleared his throat, and he got some smiles in return.

Velvet sat down in between some of the roots and Techno, not knowing what else to do, followed suit.

The others continued their conversations from before, a few of them at times trying to pull Techno into the talk, but he'd flash them an awkward smile each time and not say anything.

He was too focused on the blue glow that had been emitting from the front of the tree.

He glanced over at the other's, still deep in conversation, and stood up silently.

He made a quiet excuse about needing the bathroom, none of them even really hearing him, and slipped away.

He moved around the large tree, his hand trailing against the side of it as he gazed up at its beauty.

Techno made his way back to the entryway that was bordered up and tried to peer through the wooden planks.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." a voice said from behind him, and Techno narrowed his eyes when he saw Eret.

The cockatoo hybrid smiled slightly, fixing their round and dark glasses.

"What's in there?" Techno asked after a moment of silence, and Eret tilted their head to the side slightly.

"Captain didn't tell you?" they asked, and Techno wondered for a moment about who they were talking of before realising they meant Puffy.

"...No, Puffy didn't say anything." he said, and Eret scratched the side of their head, nodding slightly.

"Okay, well, this is our magic tree." they said with a smile, and Techno raised an eyebrow.

"...Magic tree?" he repeated, sceptically.

Eret snorted, "You find out you're a hybrid who can change forms and yet you get surprised at a magic tree?"

"Touché."

"Anyway," Eret continued, "it's the source of our power. It helps to hide our civilisation from humans, and it makes it easier for us to transform and stay alive. It's boarded up so no one goes inside and bothers it. Some say a spirit lives within the tree, but only Captain would ever know. She's the only one that's been inside." they said, letting out a heavy sigh when he was done.

"Hm." Technoblade hummed, and Eret nodded again.

"Some say that she bonded her power with the tree's to make us stronger. Like they work in sync. I don't know though, could just be a myth."

Well, that was pretty fucking weird.

Techno continued to inspect the blue glow emitting from inside of the tree before he turned back to Eret.

"I wouldn't spend so long dwelling on it. Lots of us have tried to figure it out. None of us have." Eret murmured, and Techno looked at the tree warily again.

Eret slung their arm over the younger teen's shoulder and pulled him along back to the group.

"Hey, did Captain tell you to call her Puffy?" Eret asked after a moment on the walk back.

Techno raised an eyebrow, shrugging their arm off his shoulders.

"Yep."

"Huh. Weird." Eret murmured, and Techno looked at them questioningly.

"How is it weird?"

Eret shrugged, "She generally doesn't like us calling her that. Whatever, it's no biggie. Just a bit weird."

They continued to walk forward, and Techno paused, glancing back to where he saw Puffy sitting with a group of older hybrids.

She noticed him staring and tilted her hat in greeting, smile illuminated by the glowing lamps. Techno gulped slightly, feeling uneasy, before tearing his gaze off of her and following after Eret.

"Yeah. Weird."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!! An updateeeeee, yaaaaaaaaaay! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!! :D
> 
> Happy reading!!
> 
> -Bee <3
> 
> (24/2/21)
> 
> Co-posted on wattpad


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno thinks about stuff

Techno was slowly becoming more comfortable at this sanctuary. He'd been there for about a week now but had not encountered Puffy again.

It's like she'd just blipped out of existence, and when he'd tried to ask Eret about it, they'd just smiled and said that she liked to go off for days on end.

That was weird, Techno had thought, but he'd brushed it off. He didn't care what she did with her time, he just needed her to actually be here and teach him about being a hybrid, which was the only reason he'd stayed.

He had half the mind after not seeing her for a week to just fuck off and find his way home, but then he'd remembered that he, unfortunately, wasn't able to transform and that it was not a choice for him.

So he just had to wait. Which was entirely frustrating, because Techno liked to get things done.

Currently, he was peeling potatoes, because he'd come to find out that the sanctuary members all ate together and all took turns with jobs.

His hands were starting to ache after doing it for so long, and he sighed happily when he put the last peeled potato on the pile.

Callahan, the oldest of their little group, walked past and nodded in approvement. Techno huffed slightly and made his way over to the table.

It was an odd setup, and the sanctuary seemed to really like the outdoors. The table was stretched so far, and it was accompanied by two others like it. It was in another clearing (seriously, how many clearings in this forest scape were there?), and the only cover from natures forces were some shade sails hanging above them, tied to the trees.

Instead of chairs, they had little wooden stumps from trees, but Techno wasn't complaining.

Despite the outdoorsy way of living, it was peaceful. There was something serene about being one with the wild. Techno snorted to himself, well, it wasn't really 'wild' when you had huts and utensils and things like that, but it was wilder than how he'd previously lived, so that's what he was going with.

He thought for a moment about his family. Were they worried? How long had it taken them to realise he was gone? Were they okay?

Techno narrowed his eyes, resting his head in his hands.

He couldn't think about this. It would just make him more stressed. He had to get better, and then he could go home. They wouldn't have to worry much longer. As long as he actually managed to find Puffy, that was.

"Technoblade!" a voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he whipped his head to the side, where Eret was sat next to him, waving their hand in his face to get his attention.

"Heh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, and Eret rolled their eyes.

"I was asking if you were okay." they asked, and Techno cleared his throat.

"I'm fine."

Eret raised an eyebrow and stared at him for a moment longer, but shrugged it off.

"If you say so, buddy." 

Techno had to fight the urge to flinch at the word 'buddy'. He was not their buddy. He was no one's buddy. 

Techno's eyes wandered over to the edge of the clearing that led a path to the main and largest clearing where all the huts were. There were only a few trees in between the two, unlike the other one that he'd walked down a week before to that large tree.

He'd found out from some hybrid who he hadn't cared to ask the name of that each Friday night they'd all gather at the tree and celebrate.

What they were celebrating, he didn't know.

He glanced over to the tree and saw the cheetah hybrid from before- Foolish, he thinks his name was. Foolish tilted his head to the side when Techno made eye contact with him.

They stared at each other for a moment before Foolish bit his lip, disappearing into the forest.

Techno blinked in surprise.

Well, that was weird.

A little while later, dinner was ready, and Techno made his way along with the others holding a plate and scraping bits of food onto it.

He'd be honest when he'd say that even for a sanctuary hidden from those trying to murder its inhabitants, they sure fed everyone well.

The food he'd eaten throughout the past week had been tastier and more filling than anything he'd ever eaten at home.

His family used all their money on having a stable (albeit small) house, and they never got the chance to splurge it on good food.

Techno was used to the feeling of being hungry a lot, so this was a relief.

Although he did feel incredibly guilty at the fact that he was eating so well when his father and brothers were not, he told himself that he was strengthening himself up to leave.

He'd be no help starved.

He sat down lightly, placing his plate on the wooden table and glancing to the side. The group that Velvet had introduced him to had somehow attached themselves to him, following him around and trying to include him. They'd basically forced him into being a member of their group, but he hadn't really fought it.

It would be better to make acquaintances so that he had some support if anything went wrong.

Were they his friends? No, absolutely not. Was their company often annoying? Yes, most definitely. Did he stay with them anyway? Also yes.

After eating (which was a whole new experience to get used to, considering his two new tusks), Techno half-listened to the conversation they were having about humans. It was some talk about Schlatt and his growing threat, which Techno had been interested in, but it had soon turned to dissing humans, and considering he thought he'd been one up until last week, he decided he didn't want to listen to their harsh words.

He was sitting there, absentmindedly scratching the wood with his now sharper nails, when movement along the edge of the forest made him look up.

It was Foolish, again. The teen was always just hovering around, and if someone mentioned it, he'd laugh and just kind of weave back into the crowd. Odd, but Techno had seen weirder things.

He was standing in the same spot he'd been earlier, and was watching Techno, his long dotted tail flicking back and forth.

Techno made eye contact with him and watched the teen smile. He gestured with his head to the forest, and Techno guessed that meant he wanted Techno to follow him.

His ears flicked back a little warily but stood up anyway.

The others were too deep in conversation to notice him slip off.

Good. He was no good at making excuses on the spot.

He made his way over to Foolish, who continued to look at him with a concerning smile, and Techno huffed.

"What's up?" he asked, and Foolish's ears flicked.

Instead of saying anything, he turned around and disappeared into the forest.

Techno raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the group still sitting far off on the table, and sighed, following after the teen.

"If I get murdered," he muttered under his breath, "I'll be pissed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!! I'm so sorry for not posting last night, and for this chapter being a little later than usual.
> 
> It's been a rough couple of days, I'll admit, and it took me way longer than usual to find the energy to actually write this lmao.
> 
> Anyway-
> 
> Happy reading!!
> 
> -Bee <3
> 
> (26/2/21)
> 
> Co-posted on wattpad


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno follows a weird kid into the forest

Techno followed Foolish down the pathway into the forest, trying to keep up with the teen's fast speed. Of course, the cheetah hybrid had to be the one he followed. Figures.

As they walked, Techno realised that this path linked up to the one he'd taken the other week to the weird magic tree, and he wondered for a moment just why Foolish was taking him there.

And why hadn't he said anything? Kinda weird, not gonna lie.

Techno huffed quietly to himself. He could be doing better things than this. Like...he thought about it for a minute.

It was either find out what this mysterious teenage boy wanted to show him, or sit at a table and die inside from awkward interaction.

You know what? Maybe this wasn't so bad.

Soon enough, they'd made their way to the magic tree, and Techno's eyes widened as he stared at it.

Despite having seen it before, it was just as majestic and beautiful.

The blue glow continued to emit from behind wooden planks, and Techno found himself still wondering what was inside of it.

How did a tree just glow blue? As far as he was aware, most trees didn't do that.

Then again, he had just found out he had magic inside of him and had transformed into some sort of pig-hybrid, so was a magic glowing tree really that surprising?

Foolish stopped in front of the tree, staring at Techno with a tilted head.

Techno cleared his throat awkwardly, staring at the teen as his ears flicked up, "What?"

Foolish gestured with his head towards the tree and Techno looked at him in confusion.

A twig snapped, and Techno turned to look at the tree where the sound had come from.

Puffy stood there, and Techno would have taken a minute to think about how the fuck she just appeared out of nowhere, but he was more focused on being annoyed at her.

"Where the fuck have you been?" he asked, ears flicking back as Foolish slipped back into the forest.

Puffy raised an eyebrow, letting out a gentle laugh.

"Missed me, have you?" she asked, and Techno rolled his eyes.

"You wish." he growled, and Puffy sighed slightly, leaning against the tree.

"Look, kid, I go off sometimes. You just gotta deal with that." she said, and Techno huffed.

"You can do this weird disappearing act after you teach me what you promised." he deadpanned, and Puffy grinned slightly.

"You're stubborn, kid. I like that." Techno narrowed his eyes at her but did not comment.

She sighed heavily, moving away from the tree and sitting on the grass in front of it.

She flicked her fingers, gesturing for Techno to come forward.

He did so, albeit warily.

He sat down in front of her on the grass, crossing his legs.

She flashed him a smile.

"Okay, here we go." she murmured, and Techno tilted his head in confusion.

"Close your eyes, kid." she nagged, and Techno huffed before closing them.

"Alright," he heard her voice, "just do what you did last time, but instead of expanding the magic energy, try to compress it into your chest." 

Techno bit the inside of his cheek, before letting out a sigh and trying to do it.

He thought of pulling all his magic to his chest, and it started to work before he felt a zapping feeling go throughout him, and he yelped, opening his eyes.

Puffy stared at him, an eyebrow raised, before she sighed.

"Try again." 

Techno huffed, closed his eyes, trying again, and he slowly felt the magic pull into his chest. His ears and mouth felt fuzzy for a moment as he felt the change in his body, and when the feeling stopped, he peeked his eyes open.

Puffy was staring at him with an impressed look on her face, and she pulled out the pocket mirror from before.

He took it, inspecting his face, and realised it had worked. He was back in his human form, but it felt...weird. Unnatural.

He blinked slightly, nodding his head.

"Well. Thanks." he muttered, and Puffy's lip twitched up into a smile.

They sat there in silence for a moment before Techno moved back into his pig-like form.

His shoulders relaxed at the feeling of magic spreading throughout him, and he smiled to himself, before remembering Puffy was there and pushed a nonchalant look back onto his face.

She stared at him in amusement, and he rolled his eyes.

"It just feels better. For now."

She shrugged, "I didn't say anything."

"I could feel you wanting to say something." he muttered, and she laughed at him.

They sat in the grass silently before Puffy sighed, adjusting her hat on her head.

"You're pretty powerful, kid." she mentioned, and Techno raised an eyebrow in confusion, one ear flicking up.

"What?" he asked, and she smiled lightly.

"It usually takes months of practice for hybrids to ace transforming." she said, and Techno blinked in surprise.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." she laughed, and Techno bit the inside of his cheek.

Well, that's a bit odd. Why was he able to get it so quickly?

Techno must have said that out loud by accident because he saw Puffy shrug in response.

"I dunno, kid. You're powerful, like I said. Your connection to the tree is...weird. You're weird." she ended on that note, and Techno raised an eyebrow.

"You're a sheep hybrid who kidnapped me and took me to a magical hybrid sanctuary with a magic glowing tree, and you're calling me the weird one?" he spat, and Puffy let out a boisterous laugh.

"Yeah, okay. You got me there." she said, fluffy ears flicked up in humour.

Techno sighed, looking up at the sky, and Puffy stood up gently, brushing the dirt off of her coat.

"I'll see you around, kid." she said.

"Hold on, no- you need to explain this power-" he said, but when he looked to where she'd previously been standing, he saw that she was gone.

He looked around but saw no sign of her.

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, but he pushed it away.

"Hm."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!! Short chapter today, I know, I'm sorry :((
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it anyway!!
> 
> Happy reading!!
> 
> -Bee <3
> 
> (27/2/21)
> 
> Co-posted on wattpad


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno meets a certain deep-voiced rabbit guy :))

It was two days after seeing Puffy that Techno saw the first thing that really interested him in this sanctuary.

Of course, everything was interesting, it was a place of magic- but that was just general human (well, hybrid, he guessed) curiosity. This was different.

It was what looked like to be guards. 

He'd been assigned the job of berry picking with Velvet, and after two hours of working, he'd taken a break, leaning up against a tree and sighing. 

His hair was in a short and messy braid as usual, but he'd noticed it was growing a little longer. It was still difficult to braid, but not as much. Techno couldn't wait until it was long enough to plait properly. He was fixing it when he'd seen a group of older men walk past him, wearing clothes that looked suspiciously like guards. 

Their uniforms weren't exactly like he'd seen in royal guards that had passed through his old village, decked out in armour and fancy helmets. Instead, they wore yellow undergarments with metal shoulder blades. They had leather clothes strapped on top of it, and swords attached to their belts as they walked past.

Techno's eyes widened at the sight, and he tilted his head to the side curiously. For some reason, he hadn't expected the sanctuary to have guards. It had seemed like a peaceful, no fighting sort of place, but the more he thought about it the more he realised that was wrong. He wanted to smack his head at his stupidity, this place was constantly fighting Schlatt, of course they had guards.

He stood up carefully, glancing behind him where Velvet was writing in a journal and sighed. He could probably slip away for a bit. He'd spent hours on picking berries anyway, surely he could take a few moments away.

He nodded to himself, silently assuring himself in his idea, and set off to the path that the guards had disappeared down.

The forest, Techno had found in the last few days, was insanely large. It stretched far and wide and despite him exploring so much of it he still saw new places that he hadn't before noticed.

He stealthily followed the guards until they made their way under a structure. Under half of the structure, the floor was sand, and a roof was held up by stilts. Techno's eyes widened. This must be the training grounds!

He moved forward, ducking behind a tree when one of the guards turned his way.

He peeked out a moment later and watched from behind as they split off into groups and started sparring with each other. His mouth parted open in awe at their smooth moves and total control of their bodies. They reminded him of his lessons with the retired royal guard from his village. He'd found he was quite good at fighting and sparring, but after the man's death, Techno had never practised again. He wasn't as good as these fighters, that much was certain, but with the limited amount of experience he had, he could probably hold his own against them at least for a little while.

Suddenly, a hand was placed on his shoulder, and he jumped in fright, grabbing the arm of the person in self-defence and pushing it down and away from him, grip tight.

The person yelped, and Techno quickly realised that he was not under threat (well-) and that it was just Puffy. He quickly let go of her arm as she stood back up, rubbing it slightly.

Techno winced as she cradled it, but when she looked up at him she had raised eyebrows and a slight smile, causing him to frown in confusion.

"Wow, kid," she started, "you've got some quick reflexes." 

Techno went red slightly, so he cleared his throat and averted his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess."

She laughed, "No, really. You took me down fast, and it was only a reflex." 

Techno shrugged slightly, "I had some training a while back. Nothing special." 

Puffy hummed slightly, tapping her lips with a long finger before she grinned.

"What would you say if I moved you from sanctuary duty to guard duty." she suggested, and Techno's eyes widened slightly before he tried to make his face remain impassive.

"Oh- well-"

"Just say yes, kid." she cut him off, and he paused, before nodding stiffly.

"That would be cool." he said after a moment, and she smiled, patting him on the back. He narrowed his eyes at the unwanted contact, but let her guide him towards the training ground where the other guards had paused in their sparring to watch the ordeal.

The one in different clothing (what he assumed to be the captain of them) stepped forward and cocked his head to the side slightly.

He had long black rabbit ears that flicked up as they approached.

His dark curly hair shone slightly in the light coming from the parting trees, and Techno gulped slightly, feeling nervous. If Techno had to guess, he was somewhere in his twenties.

"Corpse! I've got you fresh meat." she laughed, tapping Techno on the shoulders.

Corpse raised his eyebrows, looking down at the teenager before looking back up at Puffy and then down at him again.

"Can you hold a sword?" Corpse asked after a moment, and Techno's eyes widened slightly at the incredibly deep voice that came from the man's mouth.

He recovered quickly from his surprise and nodded once, "Yes."

Corpse nodded, "Okay, show me." he said, gesturing towards the sand part under the roof and Techno moved forward.

He glanced back to see Puffy tipping her hat at him before disappearing again.

Moving forward once more, Techno made his way to a shelf that held all sorts of weapons. He grabbed a shining sword from the rack, admiring the gem in the handle, before swinging it in his hands lightly.

He had missed this. Before, he hadn't realised how much of a stress relief his old sparring sessions were, but now as he stood with a sword back in his hand, he let a smile flick onto his face.

He looked back up at Corpse, who had taken a defensive stand with his own sword, and gripped it tighter.

He copied Corpse's stand, and the other man smirked slightly.

"Okay, show me what you got."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!!
> 
> Sorry for not uploading yesterday, I was really tired. It seems after posting my old book constantly every day for two months that the exhaustion has caught up to me, lol.
> 
> Either way, i'll probably update every day, or every second day. Not sure yet.
> 
> Also, Corpse is aged up in this, so when Techno is older Corpse will be older than he actually is...for plot convenience.
> 
> Anyway,,, happy first of March!
> 
> Happy reading!!!
> 
> -Bee <3
> 
> (1/3/21)
> 
> Co-posted on wattpad


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently Puffy has some family members.
> 
> Hey guys what would you think about me creating a discord server for this series? Let me know down below x

Techno sighed as he flopped onto his bed, stretching his arms and yawning. After a few days of training after joining the guards, he was absolutely exhausted. He realised that he needed to get himself used to it, and soon it would be easier to hold his energy, but he'd spent a lot of time sparring and fighting alongside Corpse and the other guards, so he decided he deserved a little rest.

Well, actually, he hadn't decided it. Corpse had seen him dead on his feet and had sent him off to have a nap.

Techno had tried to protest, but he'd taken a step forward and his legs had felt like jelly, so he decided to listen to the older man's instructions.

He sighed to himself, staring up at the roof. He had half the mind to get into comfier clothes, but the bed was so warm...

He was only taking a small nap anyway. He didn't need to change into sleeping clothes. He'll have a power nap then be up in time for dinner.

Techno's eyes fluttered shut, and sleep encased him.

\- - - - - - -

"Wakey wakey." a voice whispered next to Techno and he bolted up in surprise, reaching for his new sword that was propped up on his bedside table.

He pointed it to the sound, but relaxed when he saw Puffy standing there, laughing.

He rolled his eyes, propping the sword back up and let himself breathe.

"You've got to stop doing that." Techno muttered, and Puffy shrugged.

She held her hands forward and Techno realised that she was holding a bowl. It was some sort of salad with nuts sprinkled through it.

He hummed slightly and took it, using his fork to take a bite.

After he ate a little bit, he looked up to Puffy, who had sat down on the end of the bed and was watching him.

She'd taken her hat off and had propped it on the bed frame.

"Did I miss dinner?" he asked, and Puffy nodded.

"Sorry." he muttered, and Puffy shrugged.

"It's no worries, kid."

Techno did not respond, instead, he kept eating.

After he was finished, he placed the bowl onto his bedside table, took a sip of water, and then turned to Puffy once more.

He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"Did you want something?" he asked, still feeling tired.

She smiled slightly, sighing, running her hand over the sheet.

"I just wanted to see how you were fitting in."

Techno narrowed his eyes slightly, "I guess you'd know if you'd actually been here the past weeks." he muttered, and she winced slightly.

She sat there, trying to find the words, but just kind of squeaked.

He huffed, deciding to end her misery, "Yeah, I'm doing okay."

She breathed deeply in relief at him avoiding the other statement, and smiled.

"Well, that's good."

They sat in silence for a moment and Techno cleared his throat awkwardly.

"...Anything else?" he asked, and she shrugged, more to herself than to him.

"I see my kid in you." she murmured, after a moment, and Techno raised an eyebrow.

Surprise ran through him at what she said.

"You have a kid?"

Somehow, she didn't seem like the kind of person to have kids.

"I used to."

Oh, that makes more sense.

"What happened to them?"

She sighed, biting her lip.

"My son. He was 12. I'd just...I'd found out my true nature. I'd found the tree. But...he wasn't like us. He was a human, so he was dangerous. I had to leave him, I had to leave my family."

Techno's eyes widened. She abandoned her son because he was a human? Kinda weird.

He cleared his throat, "And they just let you leave?" 

Puffy shook her head, "I faked my death. In a fire. I don't know what happened to them after I was gone."

Techno let out a heavy sigh at this new information.

Abandoning her son? Her family? That's...rough.

They were silent, and Puffy bit the inside of her cheek.

"He was brave. He was always finding a new adventure, or off with his best friend in the village. He was a good kid. He's like you."

Techno furrowed his brows, "If he was so great, why did you leave him behind?" he asked.

Puffy narrowed her eyes, "I already told you- he was human."

"That's not a good enough excuse." Techno argued, and Puffy bit her lip, before shaking her head.

"It was almost five years ago now. There's nothing I can do." she muttered, and Techno narrowed his eyes at her.

She sighed, rubbing her hand with her face, before grabbing her hat and putting it back on.

She stood up, moving to the door. She reached out to the lantern on the side of the wall and extinguished the flame.

"Goodnight, kid." she murmured, before slipping out of the door as the room was enveloped in darkness.

Techno's night eyesight had gotten better since having his hybrid form, but it still wasn't amazing. 

He stared at the door, before sighing and curling up under the covers.

He was too tired to think about this, to think about Puffy, and her abandoning her twelve-year-old son.

He could worry about it later, for now, he would just sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!! How are y'all? Hope you like the new chapter!
> 
> Hey guys what would you think about me creating a discord server for this series? Let me know down below x
> 
> I wanna talk about Tommy's stream, so if you haven't seen it, scroll past!!
> 
> MAJOR DREAM SMP SPOILER WARNING (2/3/21)
> 
> SPOILERS START HERE
> 
> "Ohmygod, you guys. I watched Tommy's stream earlier but only just got the chance to comment about it- 
> 
> So Tommy's dead. Holy shit. Who thinks he'll be back? I reckon so, here's a theory I believe that I've seen going around: okay so Dream killed him in an argument, right? They were arguing about some stuff and the book, and Tommy didn't believe that the book was real. What if Dream killed him to prove to Tommy that it was real, and that he would be revived? Do you think this might happen? I really hope so lmao
> 
> Comment any theories if you have any!!"  
> This is quoted from my wattpad convo page, I just double posted it here to see what you would think!!
> 
> SPOILERS END HERE
> 
> Happy reading!!
> 
> -Bee <3
> 
> (2/3/21)
> 
> Co-posted on wattpad


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time skip babYYYYY

Three years goes by pretty fast.

Techno wasn't sure when he'd really decided to stay. Perhaps it was when he joined the guards (which he was now the co-captain of, might he brag), or perhaps it was a gradual thing.

Nonetheless, he lived at the sanctuary. Over the years, he'd continuously told himself that it was temporary and that he'd be on the way home soon to reunite with his family, but as time passed, he did not do so.

He found himself fitting in, and despite his general awkwardness and stony mask he put on, he'd actually made some friends.

He'd never tell them that to their faces, of course. To them, he'd made it clear that they were just acquaintances, but he knew that they knew better.

Puffy was constantly in and out, leaving for months on end and occasionally bringing a hybrid back. Techno had gotten used to not seeing her around much, so he didn't let it get to him like it used to.

Corpse, the captain of the guards, had steadily become a close friend of his. Techno found it increasingly easier to talk to him as they grew older, and he was glad to say that he'd gotten on the man's good side. Corpse was scary, even Technoblade would admit that, so he took some pride in the fact that he got to see the man's soft side.

Long had the time passed that Techno was a teen. He was 19 now, an adult, and he'd grown into himself more.

As a teenager, he'd always been tall and had a strong build, but after working with the guards, doing constant training, and even having some run-ins with the royal guards that tried to wipe out their existence, Techno had gotten much taller, and much, much stronger.

He wore the little emerald he always kept with him from Phil as an earring now, and it dangled from his pointed ears as a remembrance of his father.

He sometimes wore a robe too, deep scarlet in colour with fluff lining the side, but it had been a present from Puffy, so he only wore it on special occasions, or when he needed the hood to cover himself if he left the sanctuary.

Yes, there was that too. He'd been allowed to leave the sanctuary, and he hadn't run off to his family, which had been something the others weren't expecting. As he'd worked with the guards, his fighting had gotten incredibly good, and now it was a fun game for the other guards to try and beat him in a battle (which they all lost, of course- except for on some occasions, Corpse).

Puffy used to ask him why he'd decided to stay. He never really knew the answer to it back then, but now he did. He had a purpose here. He had the opportunity to live for something, rather than to just survive like he had at his old home.

When Puffy was gone, Corpse would usually be in charge, but he was constantly getting Techno to do leadership like things. Techno always tried to refuse. Being co-captain of the guards was one thing, being co-leader of an entire sanctuary was another. 

The last three years had gone by so fast, a blur in which Techno tried to keep up with.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts, and he sighed, sliding himself off the bed and towards the door. He swung it open, and Eret stood there with a raised eyebrow.

"You're late for celebration night." Eret said, and Techno huffed slightly.

"Celebration night isn't mandatory." Techno pointed out, and Eret rolled their eyes.

"They look up to you, they expect you to be there, just like Corpse and Puffy." he said, and Techno sighed heavily.

"Fine."

He turned around, grabbing his brown coat from his rack, looking at his red cape for a moment, but leaving it there.

He shrugged it on and followed Eret outside, closing the door behind them.

It was dark, that much was expected. Techno had been to celebration night a lot over the years, so it's not like he was missing a lot when he didn't attend.

He'd found out after a year of being there what exactly celebration night was- it was a day out of the week to celebrate the tree and it's protection over the hybrids, and the eternal connection that their magic had.

Techno thought it was a bit much to celebrate every fucking week, but he knew his opinion was unpopular, so he kept it to himself.

They made their way to the tree, and Techno blinked at the lights as his eyes adjusted.

He made his way over with Eret to their group and sat down, leaning against the tree, sitting around the large roots like the first time he'd been there.

Techno was still incredibly curious about what was inside the tree, but he'd learnt his place. He didn't really need to know, despite how curious he was.

Connor smiled at him in greeting and gave him a pat on the back, while Corpse ruffled his hair.

Techno rolled his eyes, smacking Corpse's hand away, but he let a tiny smile slip onto his face so they knew he wasn't actually being aggressive.

Corpse used to hang out with the rest of the guards, and he sometimes still did, but he'd grown attached to the group of misfits, and often found himself hanging out with them rather than his work buddies, despite him being a fair few years older than the lot.

He yawned slightly, ears flicking down so he could muffle the other's words a bit better, and he rested his head on the back of the tree.

Corpse glanced over at the pig hybrid sitting next to him and smiled, rolling his eyes.

He opened an arm, and Techno looked at him, hesitating, before he sighed and leaned into the man's side.

Corpse gave him a pat on the shoulder, and Techno let himself relax.

It wasn't often that he let himself be so vulnerable around people, but Corpse was safe, and the others were cool, so he let himself flutter into a soft sleep, the sounds of chatter and singing being drowned out as slumber encompassed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!! Yeah, a time skip, I did that :>
> 
> Anyway, I made the server! https://discord.gg/zWkhQyRX
> 
> Hope to see you there!!
> 
> Happy reading!!
> 
> -Bee <3
> 
> (3/3/21)
> 
> Co-posted on wattpad


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno finds out some stuff and is also a bit sad

Techno yawned loudly as he woke up. Sunlight flashed against his skin and he reached an arm up to cover his eyes from the bright rays. His back and neck ached and with a start, he realised he'd fallen asleep against the tree last night.

He sighed, rubbing his neck as he looked at his surroundings. There was nobody around. This was somewhat odd, considering he'd assumed someone would have woken him up when it was time to sleep or had moved him...something along the lines of that. But no, they'd left him there. He huffed to himself slightly at the thought. Typical.

Standing up, he stretched, joints popping as he ran a hand through his pale pink hair.

He glanced around but all he could see was smoke coming from some abandoned campfires from the previous night. They were set up in pits so they could easily light them every week, but whenever Techno showed up they usually already had a crowd, so he never spent much time there.

He sighed, starting to make the walk back to his hut to change into some fresh clothes, when he picked up whispering. His ears flicked upwards, angling towards the sound, and he narrowed his eyes.

Curiosity was bad. It killed the cat, or whatever the saying was.

Then again, Techno wasn't a cat.

He turned towards where the whispering was coming from, and realised it was from behind a group of trees, a little way off the pathway.

He got as close as he could without being seen, and angled an ear up again so he could hear better.

"What do you mean....breached....safety camp?" a hushed voice whispered, Techno only being able to pick up parts of the sentence.

"It's gone.....completely wiped out....looking for the sanctuary..."

Techno's eyes widened, one of their safety camps had been breached? They were small and set up over the kingdoms, and they were just acting as small camps to take shelter in on the way to the sanctuary. This wasn't good.

"...haven't found the sanctuary.....worried." Techno bit his lip. He was the co-leader of the guard, it was his job to know this stuff, why hadn't they told him?

...Were they trying to keep it a secret?

"Puffy," one of the voices murmured, and Techno's eyes widened, "....not good."

"I know that." the other voice snapped, becoming louder, and Techno could finally recognise it as the sheep hybrid's voice.

When had she arrived back?

They continued whispering, and Techno gulped. He quietly slunk away from the two before he heard anything else and made his way back to the pathway, thoughts running wild throughout his mind.

The threat that Schlatt's kingdom possessed was becoming even stronger, if it was so bad now, what would it be like in the future? How could he possibly help? He was just a pig hybrid, no one special, there was no way he could protect everyone from the humans.

Techno wasn't sure when he'd started calling them humans and seperating himself from them. When he'd first arrived at the sanctuary, he'd refused for a while to admit to himself that he was one of them. He wanted to believe he was still normal, but now he knew that wasn't so. 

Techno wasn't sure what to do. How was he supposed to bring up help and ideas without giving away the fact that he knew? Like, 'oh, sorry Puffy, I was hiding behind a tree like a creep while I listened to your conversation'.

No, he couldn't say anything. He just had to play his cards right and act nonchalant.

He ran a hand through his pale pink hair and bit the inside of his cheek.

As he neared towards his hut that had become a safe spot for him, he sat down on the edge of the stairs that led up to his door. Dust shifted after he sat, and he crinkled his nose as some of it got in, causing him to sneeze.

He bit his lip as thoughts swirled throughout his mind. Surely not all humans were bad? Maybe they could figure some sort of agreement out, or recruit more humans onto their side? Techno sighed, no, Puffy would never allow that. She was too proud to accept help from her enemies, even if not all of them were against her.

Techno thought about his family. Maybe they would be up to helping? Surely their blood relation would mean something? Then again, he'd disappeared without a trace, so they'd have to hold some sort of hatred towards him. Still, maybe they could look past it, he was still their family, he was still the same. Except...well, he wasn't the same. He was a hybrid, not a human. His family was better off without him, without a monster.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair yet again, when someone sat next to him.

He glanced over to see Eret sitting next to him, and he offered them a small gruff smile.

Eret smiled in return as they sat together, looking around the village as people went about their day.

They sat for probably about five minutes before Eret turned to him and sighed. 

"What's bothering you, Tech?" the cockatoo hybrid asked, and Techno had to fight off a smile at the sound of his nickname. The other's had gotten to just calling him Techno over the years, but Eret always called him Tech. It was endearing.

"Er, well, it's not exactly something I can tell you." Techno mumbled, and Eret hummed. They were obviously used to Techno keeping things to himself, and didn't seem put off by his deflection.

"Is there anyway I can help?" Eret asked, and Techno sighed.

"No, probably not."

"Is there anyone you can talk to about it?"

"...No."

"Well then maybe you should find someone you can talk to about it." Eret suggested, wings ruffling up slightly against the wind.

Techno snorted, "Open up to someone? Cringe."

Eret rolled their eyes, giving Techno a pat on the back as they stood up.

"You can talk to me."

Techno did not respond, and the other sighed.

"One day you're actually going to ask me for advice, and I'm going to laugh because it took you so long." Eret mused, and Techno rolled his eyes.

"Unlikely." he deadpanned, and Eret laughed, before they made their way away from Techno.

That was to be expected. Techno wasn't the kind of person people wanted to spend a lot of time with, he wasn't surprised that Eret got sick and tired of his monotone answers.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, a habit he seemed to be doing more often than not, and stood up to get dressed for training.

If there was one thing he could do to get this off his mind, it was sparring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends. I am so sorry it took so long to get another chapter out. You see, a few weeks ago, I got quite sick and I was unable to write another chapter. A few days ago I started to feel a bit better, and so I started slowly writing bits and pieces. I'm mostly better now, so the updates should be back on schedule soon! Thank you so much for your patience, I love all of you very much <3
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> -Bee <3
> 
> (17/3/21)
> 
> Co-posted on wattpad

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends!!! Yes, I am back with the second book of a merman's tear! If you haven't read part one, you can find it on my page. You don't necessarily need to read that one to understand this, but the storylines will link up later on, so yeah.
> 
> I realise that I literally posted the epilogue of A Merman's Tear earlier today, and I told you all I'd take a break before this book came out, but...the grind never stops.
> 
> Who do you think this character was? Comment any theories below :D
> 
> Happy reading!! 
> 
> -Bee <3
> 
> (21/2/21)
> 
> Co-posted on wattpad


End file.
